That`s because Fisher went out this year and recruited one of the best incoming freshman classes of all time, led by 6-foot-10-inch center Chris Webber of Birmingham, Mich., the No. 3 scorer in state history with 2,628 total points. Add Chicago Vocational`s 6-10 Juwan Howard, 6-7 forward Jalen Rose of Detroit and 6-4 guard Jimmy King of Plano, Texas, and the Wolverines finished well ahead of the competition in this year`s recruiting game.

Could the pressure be on Fisher to win a few more championships in upcoming years?

''No matter what he does, he has to win immediately,'' Francis said.

''But it`s still a great class.''

Here`s a look at how this year`s top 10 recruiting classes are shaping up, barring academic casualties:

1. Michigan-No argument here. The Wolverines followed up on a stellar football recruiting period by signing four of the top 10 basketball prospects in the nation-Webber, Howard, Rose and King. The leader is Webber, considered by many talent scouts to be the nation`s No. 1 prospect.

2. Virginia-Cavaliers coach Jeff Jones was successful in signing 6-1 Cory Alexander of Mouth of Wilson, Va., last weekend, one of the top point guards in the country. Alexander picked Virginia over Michigan. Jones also signed Alexander`s teammate, 6-8 forward Thomas Burrough, plus 6-8 forward Yuri Barnes and 6-5 forward Jason Williford, both from Richmond, Va.

3. Kansas-The Jayhawks, who lost to Duke in the NCAA finals this past season, have added a talented group of newcomers to an already scary team. Top additions for coach Roy Williams are 6-11 junior-college All-American center Eric Pauley of Cypress, Calif., 6-8 forward Ben Davis (a high school teammate of Virginia`s Alexander and Burrough), 6-5 Nazareth forward Sean Pearson, 7-1 center Greg Ostertag of Duncanville, Texas, and 5-8 guard Calvin Rayford of Milwaukee.

4. Connecticut-Of UConn`s signees, Donyell Marshall, a 6-8 forward from Reading, Pa., leads the pack. His stock rose after an impressive senior year. UConn also signed 6-7 forward Rudy Johnson, one of the top players in the state of Florida, and Richie Ashmeade, a 6-2 guard. ''He`s a top 100 player, and not that many people know it,'' Francis said.

5. Georgia Tech-Sophomore point guard Kenny Anderson is leaving the Yellowjackets for the NBA, and coach Bobby Cremins` name has surfaced as one of those in line for the vacant coaching position at Notre Dame. But none of that can put a damper on Cremins` recruits, which include Anderson`s successor, point guard Travis Best from Springfield, Mass. The Yellowjackets also got the frontcourt player they wanted in 6-8 forward James Forrest of Atlanta.

6. Purdue-While everybody has talked about Big 10 rival Michigan`s impressive haul, Purdue coach Gene Keady went out and recruited the conference`s second-rated class. Keady`s signings include 6-8 power forward Glenn Robinson of Gary, an aggressive player whom recruiting analyst Dave Bones said is ''unpolished, yes, but there`s not a coach who would not want to watch him blossom fully.'' Keady also signed Brandon Brantley, a 6-8 forward from Merrillville, Ind., and 6-5 forward Cuonzo Martin, a former East St. Louis Lincoln star.

Friday, Keady signed former South Shore star Kenny Williams, a 6-9 center-forward from Kankakee Community College. Because of a Big 10 rule affecting junior-college players who were academic non-qualifiers in high school, Williams may have to sit out next season, although he can practice. He has failed in two attempts to have the rule waived, but may appeal a third time.

7. Syracuse-Coach Jim Boeheim signed most of his recruits last November, including 6-2 point guard Anthony Harris from Danbury, Conn., and 6-6 forward Luke Jackson of Beaumont, Texas. Both are listed among the top high school seniors in the country.

8. De Paul-Peoria Manual`s 5-11 guard Howard Nathan, Illinois` Mr. Basketball, and 6-5 Gordon Tech forward Tom Kleinschmidt head Joey Meyer`s signees. Now Meyer is waiting to see if 6-7 forward Will Macon of Pittsburgh will be an academic qualifier.

9. Tennessee-The impressive thing about the Vols is that they ''didn`t sign any great ones, but they`ve got a bunch of real good ones,'' Francis said. That group includes Jermaine Brown, a 6-3 shooting guard from Louisville, and Shun Sheffield, a 6-10 forward from Albany, Ga.

10. Mississippi State-Mississippi State cracked the top 10 largely on the strength of two junior college transfers-6-7 Johnny Walker of Chipola, Fla., and 6-8 Eric Stevens of Hutchinson, Kan. Mississippi State also signed 6-11 center Bubba Wilson of Wiggins, Miss., regarded as one of the top high school players in the country before a knee injury sidelined him the entire season.

- West Aurora guard Michael Simmons said he will attend Marquette no matter what happens, and Marquette coach Kevin O`Neill would love to have him, even if it means Simmons will sit out a year.

Simmons has yet to qualify academically, despite scoring a 19 on the ACT. But he said he`s willing to pay his own way his freshman year. He said one of the main reasons is academics.

''Marquette is a good school,'' Simmons said. ''If you get a degree from Marquette, it really means something.''